'Til Death Do Us Part

A Naptown Tale in Seven Parts
by Altimexis

Part One
Endings and Beginnings - Trevor

"Next order of business," I said as I looked out at the students assembled before me, "is the election of officers. As you all know, I've served as president for two back-to-back terms, but I'm graduating in a couple of weeks, and it's time to give someone else a chance to lead the GSA. Unfortunately, our secretary is graduating as well, and our treasurer is moving out of the district. We therefore have a lot of holes to fill! In fact, the only officer who'll still be here is Barry Smith, my right-hand man and our very competent vice-president.

"With the recent change in our by-laws on which we voted last time, we're adding a fifth officer next year . . . Webmaster. It's been my pleasure to design and maintain our website for the last 2-1/2 years, but I can write code in my sleep. For most people, maintaining the website would be kinda like a full time job. I've rewritten the code to make it pretty easy to update the site using a simple web-based interface, and I've added style sheets so that the entire look and feel of the site can be changed without having to redo everything from scratch. The primary job of the Webmaster, however, is to update content . . . deciding what content should be posted on the site and keeping it current.

"With all of that in mind, I am going to open the floor to nominations for the five officers and please, feel free to nominate yourself if you'd like to volunteer."

I was pleased to see several hands go up. I was worried that we wouldn't have enough people willing to volunteer, which is hard on an organization. The last thing the GSA needed was to have officers whose hearts weren't really in it. Fortunately, it didn't look like that would be the case. Figuring I knew who he was going to nominate and why, I first called on my good friend, Jeremy Kimball.

"I think it goes without saying," Jeremy began, "that we have someone who is more than qualified to lead the organization for the coming year. For the past two years, he's served as the vice-president and, during the many times that Trevor was away, including this past summer when several of us were in Washington, Barry stepped in and effectively ran the GSA. Indeed, he played an instrumental role in helping Brad Reynolds set up GSAs from scratch in each of the three middle schools in the district. No one knows more about running the GSA than Barry.

"For the office of president, I would therefore like to nominate Barry Smith."

There was a solid round of applause for Barry's nomination. If elected, Barry would be the first straight kid to run the GSA.

"All nominations need a second," I shouted, bringing the room back to order. Laughing, I continued, "Is there a second for the nomination of Barry Smith as president?"

Several people shouted out "Second!" at once. It was sooo funny.

"Madam secretary," I stated, "please note that there were multiple seconds, including Adam Langley, whose voice was just about the loudest.

"Barry, do you accept the nomination?" I asked.

"If elected, I would be honored to serve as president," he replied.

"Are there any other nominations for the office of president?" I asked. "Hearing none," I continued, "could I see a show of hands for others wishing to make a nomination? Once again, please feel free to nominate yourself."

Scanning the room, there was a smattering of hands raised. Noticing that one of the kids with his hand raised was Billy Mathews, one of only a few African Americans in the room and the quarterback of the past year's freshman football team, I decided to call him next.

He stood, then said, "For the position of secretary, I would like to nominate the most beautiful boy in the room, but then I'm biased."

"I can't believe you're doing this," his boyfriend interrupted. Rick was certainly one of the most effeminate boys if not the most effeminate boy in the school. His hair was usually dyed in a vivid color, and today was no exception. His hair was a brilliant orange, and his fingernails were painted to match. Also, he was wearing a copper-colored lip-gloss, as well as eye shadow, both of which complimented his caramel colored skin nicely. He wasn't in drag though, and his clothes were pretty typical of a teenage boy, although a bit more colorful.

Continuing, Billy added, "For those of you who don't know the love of my life, Rick Simmons is more than a pretty face. He's a straight-A student, and he's the most efficient note-taker I've ever seen." Grabbing Rick's backpack, Billy pulled out a spiral notebook and opened it. "Take a look at these notes . . . they're well-organized, color-coded and detailed, and his handwriting is perfect."

Poor Rick was blushing furiously with embarrassment, but even from a distance, I could see that the page was exceptionally well organized.

"Not only that," Billy continued, "but Rick can type well over one hundred words per minute. He's the obvious choice for secretary of the GSA."

As Billy sat back down, I asked, "Is there a second for the nomination?"

Again, there were several shouts of "Second!" and again, I instructed the secretary to note the multiple seconds and to list Adam Langley by name.

"Rick, do you accept the nomination?" I asked.

"From what your boyfriend said, it sounds like you're more than qualified," I reassured our nominee.

"Are there other nominations for secretary," I asked.

After waiting several seconds, I continued, "Hearing none, that leaves us with the offices of vice-president, treasurer and Webmaster."

"I'd like to be Webmaster," shouted a boy I recognized as Eric Wiesenthal. Eric was a sophomore and a computer geek, just like me. I remembered meeting Eric nearly two years ago at the Fourth of July festivities hosted by The Star. Personally, I could think of no one better qualified for the position, but he was out of order and procedures had to be followed.

"Just a reminder that you need to raise your hand and be recognized by the chair, and to word your request as a formal nomination," I kind of admonished Eric.

Eric then sheepishly raised his hand and I said, "The chair recognizes Eric Wiesenthal."

"Yeah, I'd like to nominate myself for the position of Webmaster," he stated.

"Much better, Eric," I laughed. "Now for the benefit of those who don't know you, would you please stand and tell us why you'd like to be Webmaster?"

Rising out of his chair, he said, "Well, uh . . . I'm real good with computers, and I've done a lot of coding before, and I think I'd be good at continuing what you started, Trevor."

Smiling, I told him, "You don't have to do any coding unless you want to, Eric. The website is pretty much a turnkey operation at this point, but if you'd like to give it a new look and feel, you'd be welcome to play around with the style sheets. The main job of the Webmaster, however, is to maintain the content of the website and keep it up-to-date. Do you think you can do that?"

"Are you kidding?" he asked. "Of course I can do that. I wouldn't have volunteered if I didn't think I could. I think it'd be fun."

"I'm confident you can as well," I added, "but we need a second and there may be other nominations. Is there a second for Eric as webmaster?" I asked the group.

After his nomination had been seconded and with no other nominations for Webmaster, and after Cynthia Roberts had been nominated to the position of treasurer, I moved on to the remaining office up for election.

"Finally," I began, "we need to choose a new vice-president to take Barry's place. The vice-president is responsible for running the GSA whenever the president is unavailable, as was the case this past summer when I paged in the Senate. The vice-president also automatically ascends to the office of president in the event that the president is unable to complete his or her term. Very often in the past, the vice-president has succeeded the president in office, but that of course depends on being elected.

"Are there any nominations for the office of vice-president?" I asked.

I looked around the room, as did many of the kids present, but no one raised their hand. Eventually, Dave Reynolds raised his hand and I called on him.

"I'd like to nominate my brother, Brad, to be vice-president of the GSA. He's already the president of the GSA at his middle school . . . a GSA he founded. He's also the president of the Gay Youth Council for the entire city, and we all know what he did for Jeremy, Trevor, Kurt and me last summer when he organized a caravan of fifteen buses to Washington in a show of support for us against the Ad-Hoc Ethics Committee. For a straight boy, no one has shown more commitment to the cause of gay rights."

"I hate to raise a point of order," our current secretary began, "but our bylaws clearly state that members need to be present to accept their nominations for election to office. Taken literally, Brad is ineligible not only because he's not here, but also because he's technically not a member. Although not stated explicitly, I think the intent clearly was that officers at minimum be incoming sophomores."

Turning to look at David, she continued, "No one doubts that your brother is more than qualified, David, but he's prolly gonna be elected class president when he gets here, anyway. He'll have enough on his plate without being a GSA officer."

"I suppose you're right about that," David answered with a laugh. "Given that he's not eligible, I withdraw the nomination."

"Are there any other nominations for vice-president?" I again asked.

After a long delay, Larry Peters tentatively raised his hand. Larry was a freshman and, like Billy Mathews, a member of the freshman football team.

"Larry, did you want to nominate someone?" I asked, fearing the answer because of the controversy the nomination would cause, but secretly hoping for the nomination I figured was coming.

"For the position of vice-president, I would like to nominate Bret Andrews," he replied, eliciting a number of gasps throughout the room. Almost immediately, people started murmuring, but above the fray could be heard a lone voice.

"I second the nomination," shouted Rick Simmons as he stood. Rick's show of support quickly silenced everyone.

"Why would you want me?" Bret asked aloud. "After what I did to you, Rick, how can you even stand to look at me? With no offense to my boyfriend, while I appreciate the nomination, I have no experience, and the last thing the GSA needs is a kidnapper at the helm."

"You're not really a kidnapper," Larry countered.

"If I'd been an adult, I would have gone to jail for a very long time," Bret responded.

"But you weren't an adult, and you were living under duress, which is why the judge gave you community service instead," Larry stated emphatically.

"If I could have the floor," Larry continued, "I'd like to explain why I think Bret is the best person for the job.

"We all know what Bret did at Homecoming last September, kidnapping Rick Simmons and threatening to kill him if Billy Mathews didn't hang himself. Rick planned it to be a joke, never realizing the consequences of his actions.

"We also understand what Bret was going through at home, living deeply in the closet, literally fearing for his life should his secret be revealed. Because of his father, he was forced to play the role of a blatant homophobe. He quit the football team, not because he wanted to, but because his father wouldn't let him play on a team with a gay quarterback.

"Obviously, Bret carried things too far, but he was acting out because he couldn't have what he wanted more than anything . . . to live the life God intended for him. Life is particularly difficult for gay African Americans, and his father, like so many of his generation, views homosexuality as a 'white man's disease'. Indeed, Bret's dad blames me for making him the way he is.

"Since moving in with my family, however, Bret has become the sweetest, kindest boy you could ever meet. He's gone way beyond his court-ordered community service, and he's continued to volunteer every week at a homeless shelter downtown. In other words, Bret has risen up from out of his adversity. He's made a new life for himself and is now a great example for all of us to follow.

"More important, Bret has shown true leadership, volunteering at a number of GSA functions and stepping in when others were unable to do the work they'd promised. Bret doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word, 'no'. He's also a shining example to nearly a hundred gay brothers and sisters who are either still in the closet, or deeply in denial. No offense to Rick, but having young black athletic gay boys in visible positions like this is just what the GSA needs to attract more people of color to the organization.

"I'm proud to call Bret my friend, my boyfriend, and with your approval, the vice-president of the GSA."

"The nomination has been made and seconded," I announced. "Bret, do you accept the nomination?" I asked.

"I still think there are better people to run the GSA, but yeah, I accept," he answered.

"Are there any other nominations from the floor?" I asked.

A girl I didn't know raised her hand, and I called on her.

"For the position of vice-president of the GSA, I would like to nominate Cam Dunnington," the girl stated.

Cameron was certainly an interesting choice, if not a controversial one. Until a few weeks ago, he'd been known as Carrie and lived life as a presumably straight girl. I knew the score, and that her boyfriend, Lyle Herndon, was really gay and in the closet to all but his teammates on the varsity basketball team. Lyle desperately wanted to keep his orientation secret, as he anticipated a career that hopefully would lead to the NBA, but then someone on a rival team managed to discover Carrie's secret during the state championship playoffs, and outed them both.

Since then, they'd both decided to come out and Cam was now living life as an out high school boy. The only reason he'd lived a transgendered life in the first place was the horrible harassment he'd suffered in middle school. Yes, he was every bit as effeminate as Rick Simmons but, unlike Rick, he'd not had a jock boyfriend to protect him while growing up. Now, thanks to Lyle and to peer support from the members of the GSA, Cam was finally able to feel comfortable in his own skin, and Lyle still managed to get a full-ride scholarship to his first choice college, in spite of his being gay.

But therein lay the problem with Cam's nomination - he planned to graduate a year early and attend school with his boyfriend, hence he wouldn't be around next year to serve as an officer. The vice-presidency wasn't really intended for next year's seniors anyway, as they couldn't move up to the presidency the following year.

Still, procedure had to be followed, and so I asked, "Is there a second for the nomination."

Before anyone could speak, however, Cam rose and said, "I'm sorry, but I have to decline the nomination, even if there is a second, as I won't be here. I'm taking early graduation to be with Lyle."

"Let the record show," I stated, "that there was no second because the nominee declined.

"Are there any other nominations?" I asked one final time.

After waiting a full minute and then repeating my request, I added, "Hearing none, I'd like to take the unusual step of putting in a word on behalf of Bret Andrews. Yes, I know his nomination is controversial. I was there the night he kidnapped Rick and was involved in talking him down. I've counseled many gay kids during my terms as president, and Bret had one of the most difficult home lives of any of them. To put it bluntly, his father's a nutcase. It's not easy for a gay boy to grow up in such a blatantly homophobic environment, and as Larry said, Bret was acting out.

"Since moving in with his boyfriend's family, however, Bret has changed dramatically. He really has been one of the strongest volunteers the organization has ever seen. He's a kind, caring, dedicated young man, and he's selfless. The fact that he's African American can only enhance the image of the GSA, particularly among closeted black gay kids. Not that I think he should get the position because he's black, however I really think he's the best qualified person to take over from Barry Smith, regardless of skin color. I strongly support the nomination of Bret Andrews.

"Can we have a motion to close the election to further nominations?" I asked.

"So moved," Jeremy Kimball called out.

"Is there a second?" I added.

Several people called out, "Second", and I had our secretary make note of this.

All in favor of closing the nominations, say 'Aye'," I commanded.

The room was filled with shouts of approval, and when I asked for any opposed, I was met with only silence.

"Very well," I continued, "the nominations are now closed. Is there a motion to elect the slate of officers by white ballot?" I then asked.

"So moved," Jeremy again called out, and my request for a second was again met with several responses. A quick vote sealed the deal.

Pounding my gavel, I announced, "Very well. I now present our new officers, who will lead the GSA over the summer and during the coming school year. I present to you our new president, Barry Smith, our new vice-president, Bret Andrews, our new treasurer, Cynthia Roberts, our new secretary, Rick Simmons, and our new Webmaster, Eric Wiesenthal."

The room spontaneously broke into applause, and once the applause died down, I continued, "Now before I pass the gavel to Barry, I'd like to take a moment to say a few words.

"It has been my honor, and my pleasure to lead this organization for the past two years. I took over the GSA from Paul Levine, who's responsible for making the GSA what it is today. Paul left some pretty big shoes to fill, and I can only hope that I succeeded. One thing I do know is that I gave the organization my best, but that I could have never done it without the help of my fellow officers, Barry Smith, Corey Williams and Lisa Stern.

"Why don't we all give them a hand," I suggested as I started clapping, and everyone followed suit.

"The GSA meant a lot to me growing up, and it gave me faith and courage when it came to dealing with my own sexuality. I'd like to recognize two individuals who've given a lot to the GSA for the last three years, and although they're not officers, they've been as active as anyone. I think we can forgive David for not running for GSA office, given that he's been Class President two years in a row, and Class Treasurer even before that. In particular, David Reynolds and Jeremy Kimball have been a shining beacon of hope to all gay kids in this school. They're top athletes, they're popular, and they've shown everyone that being gay and being popular are not mutually exclusive. There have never been so many out kids in this school, and I think it goes without saying that David and Jeremy are largely responsible for a major shift in attitudes among our peers.

"David and Jeremy, the executive committee voted at a recent meeting to honor you with a special service award. Personally, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me over the years, and for my boyfriend, Kurt, and for all the gay kids who've come to you for your help and support. Come on up here guys," I urged them.

I could tell that they were genuinely surprised to receive an award, as they made their way to the front of the room, to the sound of everyone's applause. They were my best friends, and would be rooming together with Kurt and me in Boston next year when we all went to school there. No one deserved an award more than they did.

"Congratulations guys," I said as I handed each of them a small plaque and shook their hands.

"Finally, I'll now hand the gavel over to my successor, Barry Smith, who will say a few words."

Taking the gavel from me, Barry said, "Thanks, Trev. It has been a pleasure to serve under you.

"As my first official act as president, I have a special award to present to you as voted upon by the other members of the executive committee."

I was shocked. I wasn't expecting that.

Continuing, Barry said, "Paul Levine may have gotten this organization off the ground, but it was you, Trevor, that truly made it what it is today. You've created a new standard when it comes to shoes to fill. In fact, with the addition of the position of Webmaster, it's going to take two people to fill your shoes and carry on your legacy. The word 'president' doesn't begin to convey all that you have done.

"Yes, you've led this organization, but building a first class website from scratch has, literally, put us on the map. The website is a top-ten resource for gay youth, nationwide and worldwide. Thanks to you, everyone knows of our GSA. This legacy will live on long after you're gone.

"Your role in the GSA goes far beyond that, however. When I lost my parents due to their homophobia when they learned my brother is gay, I went through a very rough time. I was very fortunate to have my brother's boyfriend's parents take us in and help us to carry on, but here at school, it was you, Trevor, that got me through it. David and Jeremy played an important role, too, but you were the one who spent hours and hours with me, counseling me, helping me to accept that what had happened wasn't my fault. Everyone called me a hero for rescuing the Wilsons from my dad, but I just couldn't accept it, given that he killed our mom and then himself in the end. Trevor, you were always there for me. You helped me work through the depression. You saved my life.

"I'm but one example of what you've meant to the gay youth and to brothers, sisters and friends of gay kids at this school. You yourself just mentioned your role in helping to resolve the situation when Bret Andrews kidnapped Rick Simmons, and in counseling Bret afterwards. You've counseled countless numbers of other gay teens, their friends and their families.

Turning to face me, he concluded, "Trevor, you're truly a treasure, and it's with great pride and humility that I award you this distinguished service award."

Barry handed me a box as he shook my hand and the whole room rose to give me a fucking standing ovation. I was totally stunned. I opened the box to find inside a beautiful engraved glass trophy. It was something I'd always treasure, but I could barely see it through the tears in my eyes.

After the applause had died down and everyone was seated, Barry asked the room, "Is there any other new business? . . . Hearing none, is there a motion to adjourn?"

After a motion was quickly made, seconded and voted upon, Barry stated, "This concludes the final meeting of the GSA of the 2009-2010 academic year!" as he brought the gavel down.

The next two weeks went by in a flurry of activity as I took my final exams and the AP tests that would hopefully get me advanced placement at MIT. Before I could turn around, it was Wednesday, May 26, and commencement was upon us. Although David, Jeremy and Kurt would all be going with me to Boston to start college in the fall, I was the only one who was actually graduating this year. By state law, because David and Jeremy were only juniors, they could not officially graduate until next year, even though they had completed all their high school requirements and were taking what is commonly called 'early graduation'. My boyfriend, Kurt, would never graduate from high school. He was skipping directly from his sophomore year in high school to enter Boston University as a freshman. I was therefore the only one of us who had completed four years at our school and would actually be participating in commencement this year.

Commencement rehearsal was held in the morning, with commencement itself being that evening in the Pepsi Coliseum at the State Fair Grounds. Our commencement speaker was to be none other than the senior senator from our state, for whom I'd paged last summer. Sadly, my image of him had been severely tarnished when he asked me to participate in playing dirty politics with our state's junior senator, for whom Kurt was paging. The senior senator's acquiescence to those who tried to smear us with an allegation of participation in a prostitution ring also damaged my image of him. Maybe he was right when he said the investigation and Congressional hearings that followed were necessary to 'clear the air', but did he have to sponsor the legislation? Still, I suppose it was an honor to have him speak at our high school, particularly with him being one of the most senior members of the Senate.

With nearly a thousand kids in the senior class, the awarding of diplomas took forever, but even with so many graduates, they still took the time to announce each person's name. Then the three valedictorians, who all had straight A's, each gave a brief speech. I had a few B's, so my class rank was seventh, which was still solidly in the top percentile, and I was glad I didn't have to give a speech.

Next came the special recognition awards. I was shocked when they gave a leadership award to David for his service to the Junior Class. Usually, only seniors are eligible for these awards, but I guess they figured that since he was taking early graduation, he should receive the award this year instead. They also gave Jeremy an award as the school's most valuable athlete, for his role along with David Reynolds in helping to lead the varsity soccer team to its first ever state championship, as well as for winning back-to-back state swimming championships, three years in a row. Further, they gave special recognition to Kurt for winning a Congressional Gold Medal.

"Finally," the principal began, "it's time to award our outstanding senior. This is a student who has shown exemplary leadership and service to the school while maintaining the highest standard of academic excellence. This award has often gone to one of our valedictorians, or to the Senior Class President. This year our award goes to neither of these, although he is a president . . . the president of our school's gay-straight alliance."

Time stopped for me when I realized what the principal was saying. I was the school's outstanding senior. His words faded into the background - I was stunned. I thought the award the GSA gave me was something special, but this was a hundred times more significant. I know he said something about my role in the GSA and my building a world class website from scratch - a feat I accomplished in raw code, moreover. I'm sure he also mentioned my role in counseling gay youth and their friends and families, and I think he mentioned something about the countless lives I'd saved. This was all too much.

When he asked me to come to the podium, my legs could barely move. I was in shock. I guess I was going to have to say something, too, but my mind refused to kick into gear. Finally, when I shook the principal's hand as he handed me my award, I knew just what I was going to say.

Stepping up to the microphone, I began, "Love. Love is what made me what I am. All my life, I've been surrounded by love, and thanks to the love I have received, I've been able to give my studies my all. Love has also taught me the importance of loving others, and it's because of this that I have dedicated my high school years to helping other gay youth.

"And look at what we've accomplished! David Reynolds, Junior Class President and recipient of a leadership award not more than five minutes ago. Jeremy Kimball, our school's outstanding athlete. My boyfriend, Kurt DeWitt, recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal. We are all gay, out and proud! Two of last year's co-valedictorians, Randall Bernstein and Altaf El-Tahari, married each other over the summer and vowed to take in gay youth who have been rejected by their own parents. It all comes down to love.

"I was raised in an Evangelical Christian household, and when I came out, it was with tremendous trepidation as to whether or not I would even have a home after my parents found out. Ironically, my father had figured out my sexual orientation two years earlier. He could have turned away, or tried to change me, but he loved me and, in the end, he decided to learn more about what it is to be a gay teenager. He concluded that while he didn't agree with my 'choice' it was my choice to make, and he would love me no less for it. My mom did, too.

"My parents have since come to realize that being gay is not a choice one can make, and that homosexuality is part of God's plan. My boyfriend . . . my fiance . . . had a lot to do with that. My parents love me and support me, and that has helped to shape my life, but Kurt DeWitt is the love of my life. It was Kurt's father who outed me to our church's congregation at large, and tried to use me as an example of the way the high school was corrupting our youth. He tried to get the GSA disbanded, and to change our textbooks, and even to recall the school board. In reality, he did this out of spite when he discovered that his youngest son was gay, but in the end, it was he that left town. Our community knows better than to listen to lies. Our community is one based on love.

"Finally, there is my brother, Sam. Sam didn't grow up in a loving environment, yet he is one of the most loving people I know. Horribly abused as a child and at a camp for disadvantaged youth, he came to the aid of my Kurt, and Kurt in turn prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save Sam. Sam is already reading college-level material. He's one of the smartest kids I know, yet he continues to tutor his best friend, Paul, a kid with Down's Syndrome, even though they no longer share the same classes. Thanks to Sam's dedication, Paul is able to be in regular classes and even has a shot at going to college. Sam is someone special. When his own mother abandoned him, Kurt begged us to take him in, but we didn't need to be more than asked. My parents adopted him last year, and I can't even begin to imagine my life without him.

"Sam will be starting school here next year, so there'll be another Austin walking the halls. I love you, bro. I love all of you, for making me the person I am."

I couldn't believe it when I got another standing ovation - this time from the whole Goddamn school.

Finally, the senior senator got up to give his speech.

"Since it's late," he began, "I'll keep my comments brief.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Class of 2010 . . . you know, it seems like just yesterday that I was sitting where you are, not at this high school, but in a high school nearby. Soon, I was off to college, and then law school, and I was a Rhodes Scholar, but even before then, I was active in the Republican Party. When this city became one of the first in America to merge its city and county governments, a move that even today is seen as one of the boldest, most successful examples of progressive politics in history, I was tapped by the party to become the first to run for mayor of our unified city-county government. The voters honored me with their support, and I was humbled to serve as mayor of this great city for a number of years.

"As you all know, I went on to run for the U.S. Senate, and chaired the Foreign Relations Committee for a number of years until the Republican Party lost control of the Senate. I am very proud of all of my accomplishments and the legislation I have written and sponsored over the years, but of all of my accomplishments, I am proudest of the time when I was the mayor of this great city.

"During my time as mayor, I faced many challenges, including high unemployment, economic recession, the war in Vietnam, the looming Watergate scandal and the downfall of the Nixon White House. Our city was nearly broke and faced possible closure of the Navy's primary research facility, the Army threatened to close Fort Harrison and move their national personnel office elsewhere, and the auto industry was retrenching, closing plant after plant throughout the Midwest, including in our town. It was then that the term 'Rust Belt' was coined.

"And yet we persevered! We got the Navy to keep their research facility open, we convinced the Army to keep Fort Harrison open and their personnel office here in town, and we convinced new industries to move here to replace those lost in the auto industry. The unified city government worked together with local businesses and industry to make all of this happen.

"At a time when everyone was saying the city was dead and we should all just pack up and move everything to the suburbs, we didn't do that. We built a brand new sports arena for our basketball and hockey teams, right in the center of the city. That facility served us and our championship NBA team well, and has since been replaced by a more modern, larger facility, also downtown. We built a world-class convention center that has become successful beyond anyone's wildest imagination, and my successor built a domed football stadium next to the convention center and we used it to attract a Super Bowl-winning NFL team. Now that facility has been retired, replaced by a brand new state-of-the-art facility. In less than two years, that new stadium will itself host the Super Bowl . . ." The whole crowed erupted in a loud cheer in response to that statement.

Continuing, he said, "Upon the foundation we laid, back in the seventies, a lot has happened in this city. We have a world-class medical center that's one of the largest in the nation. The associated local university extension has grown to become nearly as large as the main campus. We have amateur athletic facilities that are the envy of the world, we have a beautiful new park and zoo that serve as models for urban planning, we've revitalized the Central Canal and lined it with world-class museums, shops and high-end housing. No one talks about the city being dead anymore . . . in fact, it's cool to live downtown."

After taking a sip of water, he resumed his speech. "When I graduated high school, this district metropolitan township was a remote suburban backwater. When I took over as mayor, that suburban backwater had become part of the city under our new unified government. In many cities like ours, older suburbs like this one have been abandoned in favor of new, more distant housing. In cities like Detroit, entire neighborhoods of McMansions have been abandoned as the economy has contracted, but that hasn't happen here. Our predecessors had the foresight to recognize that we're all in this together, and that having suburb fight against suburb, and all suburbs fight the city for a limited piece of the pie is only destructive, and leads to the downfall of all involved. Having a unified government has allowed us to work together to solve our problems, and to work together to recruit new industry to the region. I am proud to have been a part of that.

"Sadly, most politicians today would rather point fingers at each other than solve our problems. They seem only interested in the next election, rather than in making the world a better place. Our city's bold move to unify its government should only have been the first of many. It should have led the charge of political reform everywhere, but instead we are but a shining example of what could have been, had everyone else followed our lead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you can either lead, or you can follow, but if you do nothing, you will end up being exactly that . . . nothing. Class of 2010, I challenge each and every one of you to go out into the world and make a difference. In today's world, apathy is not an option.

"Before I leave you, I want to add my congratulations to Trevor Austin for his outstanding accomplishments and for winning the Outstanding Senior Award . . . an award that is well-deserved." God, this was sooo embarrassing. "Trevor paged for me in the senate last summer, and managed to rise above a scandal that would have taken mere mortals down. When I was mayor, Trevor's father befriended one of my sons, who was something of a brat back then. When most kids at the day camp they attended shunned my son, Rob Austin went out of his way to be friendly. He was an exceptional young man and, in turn, he has raised an exceptional young man.

"Thank you very much for inviting me to speak this afternoon, and God Bless all of you!"

At that point, the crowd erupted into applause and we all gave the senator a standing ovation. I might not think as highly of him as I did before the summer, but his speech was awesome.

By the time we got home, Kurt and I were exhausted. We'd been boyfriends for two years now, and we were hopelessly in love. Kurt's mother and my parents agreed to let him move in with me after we returned from our Winter Holiday break, but even before, he was spending more nights with me in my bedroom than he was spending in his own bedroom in his own house. It was about much more than sex. Since we were in different grade levels at school, we hardly saw each other during the day. We just couldn't stand being apart. Don't get me wrong; sex with Kurt is abso-fucking-lutely awesome, but nothing means more to me than snuggling up with my honey at the end of the day.

And snuggle we did as we both fell asleep.

There were lots of graduation parties on Thursday, including one hosted by the GSA at Jeremy Kimball's house in Lake Shores. An amazing boy band called Benny's Benders played music for us as we danced the afternoon away. I even got out my classic Les Paul guitar and sang along with the band for part of the party. I loved singing and playing my guitar - it was fun!

Besides dancing, we had swimming as well as boating out on Dawson Lake. I know a lot of my peers spent the day getting drunk, but not at our party. Jeremy did an admirable job of making sure the party was alcohol-, tobacco- and drug-free. We all had a blast!

The next evening, Friday evening, was what the school called the graduation dinner dance, but what everyone else simply called prom. Prom was being held at the Marriott Hotel at Keystone at the Crossing this year, which had a nice, albeit generic, convention facility. At least I knew the food would be awesome. I expected the evening would be well worth the cost of the tickets, our tuxedo rentals and the limo we'd hired.

With David and Jeremy's push for same-sex dancing at Homecoming 2-1/2 years ago and with the activities of the GSA since then, the notion of Kurt and I attending as a couple no longer seemed so strange, but surprisingly this was going to be the first time in our school's history that same-sex couples would be attending prom. Randy and Altaf didn't attend last year, as they felt they were too busy planning for their upcoming wedding. The Junior Class held their prom in April but, because of preparations for our summer internships and paging in the senate, we'd skipped it last year. Even though Kurt and I, as well as David and Jeremy, planned to get married in a double ceremony over the Fourth of July weekend this year ourselves, we weren't about to miss our senior prom.

Although I'm not the most coordinated person in the world, and I'm no athlete, I really enjoy dancing, and I love doing anything with my Kurt. We love doing things with our best friends, David and Jeremy, too. Technically, I was the only graduating senior, but with David and Jeremy taking early graduation, and with Kurt leaving school early to go to college in Boston with me next fall, it just seemed so right for the four of us to be attending prom together. We'd hired a limo to take us there, and the four of us rented a couple of adjoining rooms at the Marriott so we wouldn't need to worry about staying late, or possibly getting inebriated from the spiked punch.

Not that we couldn't have sex at home - both sets of parents for both couples accepted that we were committed to one another - but there was just something very traditional about spending the night after Prom at a hotel and screwing our brains out.

Kurt had grown a lot since I first met him, when he was so much shorter than me. Now, I'm 5'11" and he's 5'9", so we'll prolly both end up being close to six feet, but he still has his boyish good looks. He has straight blond hair, vivid blue eyes and freckles across the bridge of the cutest button nose I've ever seen and on his shoulders. He's adorable. But even seeing him in the nude on a daily basis didn't prepare me for seeing how utterly handsome he looked in a tux - a lavender tux. Kurt was absolutely stunning.

Seeing him dressed up like that, I almost wanted to just skip the dinner and the dancing and go straight to making love with him. From the look in his eyes, I could see that he was equally turned on by the sight of me in my matching tux. But we couldn't exactly skip the prom - not with a limo hired, our tickets in hand, and David and Jeremy counting on us.

"Later," I said with a knowing smile to my baby.

He replied, "Tonight's gonna be fucking awesome."

Of course the 'rents insisted on taking photos of us before we left for prom, and when we got to Jeremy's house, where David and Jeremy were both waiting, Jeremy's parents insisted on photographing the four of us together before we left. Less than ten minutes later, we were in a long line of limousines, waiting our turn to be dropped off in front of the Marriott.

The setting inside was actually more elegant than I'd expected, and the food was outstanding. It wasn't as exceptional as the food we'd had over the summer at the Ritz Carlton in Washington and then at the White House itself for Kurt's medal ceremony but, for our city, it was among the best food I'd ever had. The band the senior class hired for the evening in my opinion wasn't nearly as good as Benny's Benders, nevertheless we had a great time dancing. Even though Kurt and I, and David and Jeremy, were setting a precedent in dancing together at prom as couples, no one seemed to pay us any heed. We didn't even hear any of the occasional derogatory comments that we usually heard at school. I guess everyone was used to seeing us as out gay couples and tonight was about much more than petty prejudice. Everyone was there to have a good time, and that's what mattered.

When it came time for the final dance of the evening, holding Kurt in my arms as we swayed to the music, everything was perfect. I was with the boy I loved, we were holding each other close and living our lives the way God intended them to be. In just five weeks we'd be getting married, and then spending an entire month in Europe with David and Jeremy on our honeymoons. After that, we'd move permanently to Boston, where we'd likely spend the next seven or more years in college and in graduate school in my case, seminary in Kurt's case and law school in David's and Jeremy's cases.

By the end of Prom, we were all a bit tipsy, but far from being drunk. None of us were really into drinking and, with the exception of Kurt having tried pot at a party at the end of his freshman year, none of us had ever used drugs of any kind. We headed up to our rooms to spend the night making love. Come morning, the doors between our adjacent rooms would probably be open so we could spend the time together with David and Jeremy, but tonight was about us as individual couples. We were not into group sex or partner swapping - to us, sex was a private matter. Kurt and I would be spending the night, or should I say the early morning, in each other's arms.

"You look so amazing in your tux, Trev," Kurt said the moment the door to our room was closed behind us. "As good as you look in it, however," he said with a sly smile, "I can't wait to rip it off you."

"You look fucking handsome in your tux, too," I told my fiance, "and the feeling about ripping clothes off is mutual."

Slowly, our faces came together and our lips joined together as one. Tongues danced with tongues as we nibbled on each other's lips. I felt as if my erection was gonna rip right through my pants, and I could feel that Kurt's was equally hard. Coming up for air, I carefully slipped Kurt's jacket off and hung it up in the closet. Much as I just wanted to rip his clothes off, we'd owe a small fortune if anything happened to our rented outfits. We proceeded to undress each other slowly, kissing passionately between removing articles of clothing.

No sooner was Kurt's shirt off than I began to feast on his torso, nibbling at the base of his neck, licking the hollow above his collarbones and sucking and nipping his nipples. Kurt moaned with pleasure as I caressed his beautiful body, using my mouth and fingers to send waves of pleasure throughout his soul. When my shirt came off and Kurt reciprocated, it took all my effort to keep from cumming right then and there.

After we'd finally shed the last of our clothing, I gently lay Kurt down on the bed and prepared to make love to him in the most intimate way. Starting with a sensual 69, we feasted on each other's pre-cum, taking each other deep into our throats as we repeatedly brought each other to the brink, but not yet crossing that boundary of ultimate release, slowly building our pleasure almost to the point that we couldn't take it anymore. As our passion built up to a point where even breathing on Kurt's manhood would send him over the edge, I snuggled up with him, giving us a chance to cool off a bit as we continued making out with each other.

Finally, I applied some lube to Kurt's massive organ and I slowly lowered myself onto him. The feeling of his penetration is one of the most exquisite sensations I will ever know, and tonight was no exception. The look of shear ecstasy that I saw on his face as I slowly and lovingly raised and lowered myself on his pole only served to heighten my own enjoyment. God, I truly loved this boy . . . this man . . . so much.

Kurt might be only sixteen, but he's one of the most mature young men I know. Hell, he's the youngest recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal, ever. Kurt's selfless, and when we make love to each other, our passion knows no bounds.

Eventually we reached a point where we could hold back no longer. As a familiar feeling worked its way from my toes to the tip of my member and to the center of my very being, I saw Kurt's face contort into the most exquisite vision of release as he began to fill my bowels. It had been more than a year since we agreed not to use condoms. We were totally and absolutely committed to one another, and to no one else.

I closed my eyes and arched my back as I too erupted. The feelings were so intense, I nearly passed out, and when I came back down to earth, I was laying on top of Kurt, with my semen spread between our chests. When I opened my eyes, there was semen all over his face and in his hair. The sight of my cum-covered baby caused me to start to harden all over again.

After licking my spunk off Kurt's face and sharing it with him, I flipped back around and once again, we began to simultaneously pleasure each other orally. Yes, Kurt's cock had just been in my behind, but we'd taken the time to clean each other out before the evening began, and the taste of his spunk together with my own juices only served to heighten my arousal. Before long, I was buried inside of Kurt and we were engaged in another round of bliss. Personally, I preferred being a bottom to being a top, but we both enjoyed being fucked, and I was not about to deny my baby his own enjoyment on this special night.

The sun was already coming up by the time we finished our lovemaking activities. Ordinarily we'd shower after such prolonged sexual activity, but with the events of the last few days, we were both way beyond pooped at that point and simply fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next thing I knew, there was a banging sound at the door. I quickly sprang to my feet and looked out the peephole, but there was no one there. It was when the banging resumed that I realized that it was coming from the door between ours and David and Jeremy's room. I opened the door to find a very naked David on the other side, with dried cum all over his chest.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," I said with a chuckle.

"I could say the same thing about you!" David replied. "Anyway," he continued, "we were smart enough to ask for a wakeup call, and if we don't get going now, we'll be charged for another night. It's just after 11:30, and checkout's at noon."

"Shit!" I practically shouted. "We'll see you in twenty."

Kurt and I quickly showered together, and then we brushed our teeth and I shaved. We got dressed in board shorts and tees, and I gathered all our tuxes and patent leather shoes and packed them up in a garment bag to take back to the rental place. We made it down to the lobby just at noon, and ended up in a long line with a number of our friends and acquaintances, waiting our turn to check out.

"Well if it isn't the fag brigade," came the voice of Roger Sorenson from behind us. Roger was one of the more blatantly homophobic jocks who occasionally gave us trouble in school.

"You got that right," countered David, "and I guarantee we got more last night than you'll get in a month."

"What you do, I don't want," he replied. "It's disgusting and vulgar."

"No, we made love with our fiances," I challenged him. "With you, it's prolly just sex. You should live so long as to experience a love like I have with Kurt."

Sorenson started to say something, but with his girlfriend standing next to him, glaring at him as if to confirm the lack of a loving relationship, he backed down.

Kyle Linzer, an acquaintance of ours and a member of last year's varsity hockey team, however, wasn't having any of what Sorenson was saying. "C'mon, Roger, these guys are cool. What they have is no less than what we have with our girls," he countered.

"Fag lover," Sorenson replied, which earned him a kick in the shins from his girlfriend. Yeah, Sorenson was someone we wouldn't miss, but there were certain to be others like him, wherever we went.

After finally checking out, we took the tuxes and dress shoes back to the rental place, which was in the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing, and then went for a nice lunch at El Torito's nearby. After we finished, my dad came to pick us all up and take us to our house.

On the way home, he asked, "I've been meaning to talk to you guys . . . after the wedding, you're going to be spending four weeks in Europe on your honeymoon . . . right?"

"Yeah, Dad," I answered. "A week in London, a week in Paris, a week in Venice, Florence and Rome, and week in Barcelona and Madrid, with stops in other cities along the way."

"Well, as you know," he resumed, "we promised Sam a trip to Paris this summer, because he got an 'A' in French . . . and all his other subjects, I might add. He's also taking a crash course in Italian over the Internet, because he wants to see the museums in Florence. Unfortunately, we just acquired a new client, and the long and the short of it is that your mother and I are going to have to spend the bulk of the summer at work. It's a phenomenal opportunity for the business that will nearly double its size and potentially bring us millions over the next few years. We just can't afford to take off a couple of weeks right now."

"Rob," Jeremy broke in before I could say anything, "we all love Sam. We love Paul, and Brad, and of course Cliff, too. I take it you'd like us to chaperone Sam while we're in Europe?"

"At least during the two weeks you're in Paris and Italy," Dad replied. "I wouldn't ask you to do more than that . . . after all, you boys need some time on your own for your honeymoon . . . but if you'll agree to this, Lindsey and I will help out with your expenses."

"You don't have to do that, Rob," Dave answered. "We'd be delighted to take Sam around in Paris and Italy. Like Jer said, we love Sam, and it would be fun, but if we're gonna be with Sam for two weeks, why not our other 'little brothers', too. It would be even more fun with Paul and Brad along, and Cliff too if his health is OK."

"I wouldn't expect you to do that," Dad replied, "but I know Sam would be much happier with his friends along, and with the money we'll be making from this client, we can easily afford to send the eight of you to Europe."

"But Dad," I broke in, "we really want to pay our own way. That was the deal, and it's important to us. That's why we're staying in cheap pensions instead of regular hotels."

"Trevor, you and the boys deserve better, especially if you're going to supervise four young teenagers for a couple of weeks overseas," Dad answered. "I'll tell you what we'll do. You can spend what you'd already planned to spend toward your expenses, but we'll pay to upgrade your air travel to business class and your second-class student Eurail passes to first class. We'll also pay to upgrade your accommodations to first class hotels for the entire trip . . . after all, I don't want Sam and his young friends staying in some cheap dive with a shared bathroom down the hall. Please let your mom and I do that much for you. It's the least we can do to make up for taking care of your brothers on your honeymoon."

"That's very generous of you, Rob," Kurt responded, "but we'd have agreed to take Sam and the others, regardless. Like Jer said, we love them very much, and being with them will make us happy. It's no burden at all, and of course we'll be extra careful not to lose Paul this time."

Laughing, Dad said, "I was going to talk to you about that, too, but I trust you, and I think you guys all learned your lesson on Spring Break a year ago in Washington.

"Still, Lindsey and I want you to have better accommodations for your trip. Let us do this for you, not only because you'll be taking care of your brothers and Paul for a couple of weeks, but also as an extra wedding gift from us to you. You wouldn't turn down our gift, now, would you?"

"Well when you put it that way, Dad," I answered, "how can we refuse?"

"Great!" Dad replied. "I already have your itinerary, so I'll have my secretary make the revised arrangements."

"Thanks, Dad," I responded. "You're the best dad ever. I love you."

"And I love you too," he said. "You're the best son ever . . . you and Sam both are. And the rest of you are outstanding young men. I'm proud of all of you."

After we got home, we all drove over to Jeremy's house in my Jetta and spent what was left of the afternoon lounging around the pool and playing games in his game room.

When the sun started to set, Carlotta, Jeremy's and Cliff's nanny, put some salmon filets and some ears of corn on their outdoor grill. There's nothing like fresh salmon, grilled to perfection.

Unfortunately, Jeremy's brother, Cliff, wasn't well. He'd just come home from the hospital after recovering from a bout of pneumonia. Like my brother Sam, Cliff was HIV-positive, but Cliff had a much more resistant strain of the virus, and during the school year he came down with AIDS. None of the medications were working any more, and he recently made the decision not to pursue experimental treatment, virtually insuring that he wouldn't live more than a year or two at most.

We were all a bummed out about Cliff's health, but he seemed to be doing a little better since coming home and he even managed to come downstairs and eat with us for a short while before returning to bed.

As we sat outdoors, enjoying a dessert of frozen yogurt, David commented, "It's hard to believe, but in only two weeks, we leave for Boston to go apartment hunting, and then three weeks later, we'll all be getting married."

"Don't remind me," I said, "I have so much to do before we leave."

"It's such a shame you're gonna miss the Olympic trials this summer," David said to his boyfriend.

"We've been over this before," Jeremy replied. "There'll still be an opportunity next year at the trials in 2011."

"Yeah, but you'll be at a disadvantage relative to the other contenders who got started this year," David countered.

"I don't care about that," Jeremy responded. "Let's face it, I'm a very good swimmer, but I'm not an Olympic medalist. I prolly never will be. 'Sides, getting married is far more important. You only get married once, God willing, and I want our wedding to be special. And then there's the honeymoon! Four whole weeks in Europe with all of you. What could be better? If I gave that up for the Olympic Trials, God knows when we'd get around to getting married, and we might never again have the time for an extended honeymoon. I know I made the right decision to wait until next year."

Changing the subject, Kurt said, "Do you guys realize that these next two weeks will be the last time we live here? Sure, we'll come back to visit for school holidays and such, but after this, this town won't be our home anymore."

"This will always be home," Jeremy argued. "No matter how far we may move away, we'll always return here to be with family and friends. No place will ever hold us the way this place has. To paraphrase, you can take the boy out of Indiana, but you can never take the Hoosier out of the boy."

"I agree with Jer," I said. "No matter where the future may take us, this will always be home."

"And Jeremy and I will almost certainly come back here to live," David threw in. "After all, I'm gonna be the governor some day."

"And when you become the president, we'll all move to Washington," Jeremy added.

"Oh, we'll probably end up in Washington long before I become president," David countered. "After all, there'll probably be one or two terms in the House, and then at least a term in the Senate before I'll be seasoned enough to run for president."

"You're really serious about all this, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yeah, he is," Jeremy answered for his boyfriend, "but don't go making any plans of your own. You and Kurt are gonna be right by our sides. You guys are way too important to us to go your separate way after school. We're gonna be best friends for life."

"No matter where life may take us, we're always gonna be best friends," I agreed.

"But it's still wild to think we're gonna be on our own, for all practical purposes living in Boston in just two weeks," Kurt threw back in.

"Yeah, it is," Jeremy agreed, "but exciting is more the word. We may be young, but it's time for us to move out on our own. For Christ sake, we're getting married in five weeks. That is what really has me freaked out."

"Are you having doubts?" David asked.

"Not a chance," Jeremy replied, and then he covered David's lips with his own.

"Can you believe it? Three years we've been a couple," David stated.

"Two years for us," I added.

"High school sweethearts," Kurt related. "I always thought it sounded silly, but it fits us to a tee. Trev and I were made for each other, and I know the same is true for you and Jeremy."

Kurt and I ended up crashing in one of the guest rooms at Jeremy's house, and then went home in the morning.

The author gratefully acknowledges the invaluable assistance of David of Hope in editing and Alastair in proofreading my stories, as well as Gay Authors, Awesome Dude and Nifty for hosting them.